According to Brunken (2016, computers follow basic rules called internet protocol (IP) to communicate data over the internet. Each command is used to test accessibility to other devices on the internet. Each computer has a unique IP address to identify itself on the internet. The Ping com an echo-request packet and waits for a reply (Understanding the Ping and Traceroute Commands, 2006). If there is no reply, this can indicate an issue with the destination device. This is one of the first steps to determine if a device is reachable.
Figure 1.
Google ping
Brunken (2016) states that the traceroute command maps the path of a message as it travels through a network to another computer. The traceroute pings each device, or router, along its path to see which device may not be sending a reply. This can help determine where the problem can be with the connection to the destination IP. One reason that a ping request might time out is that the destination computer is not connected to the internet. Hence, it does not have an IP address. It is also possible that a router along its path had a problem forwarding the packet to the next router.
Figure 2.
traceroute of Google
In reviewing the ping and traceroute
commands, the round trip time for the destinations in other countries was
longer in its response. The ping response for Google.com was more than 13 times
faster than the Japanese destination. The traceroute for the Australian
destination timed out after 10 hops, which signaled a problem at the IP for the
eleventh hop. Geographical locations that are farther away will take a longer
time to receive a response from a ping command.
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References
Brunken, J. (2016). Guide to Ping and Traceroute Commands. Retrieved from University of Arizona Global Campus.
Understanding the ping and traceroute commands. (2006, November 29). Cisco. https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/ios-nx-os-software/ios- software-releases-121-mainline/12778-ping-traceroute.html
